The National Parks Board (NParks) will be recognising a record number of 14 local developments for excellence in implementing sky gardens and vertical greenery.
This follows overwhelming response to the board’s Skyrise Greenery Awards with 77 entries — the highest number since the inception of the awards in 2008, and almost three times that received in the previous round in 2011.
In a statement issued on Saturday, NParks said the format of the awards has also been revamped.
Instead of presenting awards to the top three developments, it has introduced eight categories, including Outstanding, Excellence and various Special Awards.
Winners will get their awards at the opening of GreenUrbanScape Asia, a regional trade event on November 7.
Hougang Primary School will receive three awards: Excellence Award, Special Award for DIY Project, and Special Award for Innovation.
“The judges were particularly impressed with the school’s self-created green wall that is cost effective, easily installed and maintained without professional help,” NParks said in the statement.
“The soil-less wall, made of just felt, acrylic board and staples, keeps away weeds and encourages plant growth. It also serves as a learning tool and helps lower the temperature of classrooms,” it added.
Clinching the Outstanding Award is PARKROYAL on Pickering for its “hotel in a garden” concept as a striking example of how greenery can be effectively incorporated in a high-rise building.
The statement said the hotel stands out from other developments as it has skyrise greenery integrating with its architecture and extending to rooms, corridors, and other areas, providing view of greenery from every room.
Liam Wee Sin, President (Property) at UOL Group Limited, said: “We don’t clad the whole building with marble. We do very natural things. Even for the landscaping, our landscape architect actually takes very natural growing (elements) so that there is lesser maintenance.”
Also impressing the judges was the Ocean Financial Centre by Keppel Land.
It unveiled its state-of-the-art green wall in September which came with a price tag of about S$2 million.
The garden has recently entered the Guinness Book of Records as the World’s largest vertical green wall. It is made up of 51,000 potted plants, arranged to form the map of Singapore.
Upon closer look, the colours and species also mimic the different types of terrain. The garden uses a unique system that automatically fertilizes and irrigates the plants so that it is self-sustainable and requires minimal maintenance.
Tan Swee Yiow, President of Singapore Operations at Keppel Land, said: “When we started the project, we always emphasised to make sure this building is the most sustainable building that we can build.
“From the feedback… they find this a very welcoming space unlike those spaces where you can just see a big concrete or granite wall. Overall, it gives them a very nice pleasing to the building to start work.”
The wall also employs a unique “digitised-pixelation” technique which allows the design on the green wall to be customized according to the seasons.
For the first time, a private home owner clinched the award for his unique concept of bringing nature inside his home so that every room has a view of greenery.
“When you can have living things climbing everywhere below you, beside you, above you, it’s quite magical, to stay in a place and get that feel of nature changing over time,” said Mr Tan Yung Ming.
He added: “It is therapeutic, especially my dad, who had some major illness and he definitely likes the environment where it’s calm.”
Mr Tan said the plants also cool down his home, reducing his reliance on air-conditioning.
His rooftop is also a haven for butterflies and birds - an experimental garden with close to 100 species of thriving flowers, herbs and even weeds.
“What you need is some investment in time, some effort to do up the garden and maintain it, and the benefits you get are a lot more. The relaxing and beautiful environment you can create, the cooling effects, there are many other intangible benefits you can get.”
National Parks Board’s director of horticulture & community gardening, Ng Cheow Kheng, said many of these entries are very innovative, creative and competitive.
“Because of the greater awareness of the value and importance of skyrise greenery, people love their city in a garden and they’re trying to do what they can to improve the living space around their environment,” he said.
Apart from creating an aesthetically-pleasing environment, vertical greenery can also act as insulation for noise, mitigate the urban heat island effect, and reduce energy consumption.
In Singapore, over 60 hectares of green roofs have been installed in more than 500 buildings surpassing Chicago, the North American leader in green roofs.
Skyrise Greenery Awards 2013 is organised by Nparks, with support from the Building and Construction Authority, Landscape Industry Association (Singapore), Singapore Green Building Council, Singapore Institute of Architects, Singapore Institute of Landscape Architects and Urban Redevelopment Authority.
